Gnocchi Recipe with Tomato Basil Sauce – Autentico Piatto Italiano!

Last week I have shared on my personal Instagram account a picture of me from last year to remind myself of the great effort I made.

For those who don’t know, I have always suffered with overweight. I have always seen myself as a fat person, I was not happy with my body, I was not confident. I tried many times to go on diet, I tried Atkins, Keto, Paleo, meal plans, hiring a personal trainer. If I’ve lost 10 Kg I will re-gain 15 Kg once I stop my diet.

The idea of following a diet written on a piece of paper didn’t make sense for me. How long can you sustain? One month, 6 months, 1 year! It’s impossible! No one has this kind of control over their life.

Last year, after many researches, I have made the decision to undertake a gastric sleeve surgery. Basically, they cut off a part of your stomach and leave a small part of it which will eventually expand again depending on your food habits.

I was lucky to have such an amazing doctor and dietitian who followed up with me remotely and explained to me the after math of the surgery. 

Here it is:

- This is not a quick fix! If you are not planning to change your habits you will gain all the weight again. 

- Your stomach after the surgery is similar to a new born stomach. You have to experience what your body will accept. 

- You need to understand the concept of a healthy lifestyle. It is not about having a salad with grilled chicken breast for lunch and a tuna salad for dinner. It’s about small changes that you start doing in your life which your new stomach will get used to. So, If you eat junk food or heavy sweets one or two months after your surgery, your stomach will get used to junk food and will pick up the food habit again.

- You need to have a strong will to fight your urge to junk food and heavy sweets at least the first 8 months. After that, trust me, a McDonald's or KFC meal will upset your new stomach. 

From my personal experience, here are the small changes I have made:

- Don’t Deep Fry! Just Oven Bake.

- Don't get Sweet and Heavy Creamed Chocolate! Use Dark Chocolate or Semi-Sweet Instead.

- Don’t Order in! Whatever you are craving you can recreate it at home even if it’s a pizza. It will still be much healthier than Pizza Hut.

- Replace Vegetable Oil and Butter with Olive Oil. 

- Cut off sugar gradually! Start with the sweetener then cut it off!

- Last but not Least, do not get processed food. I am an advocate for fresh ingredients all the way. Whatever it is, you can do it from scratch. This was my challenge, I wanted to recreate all the meals I had in restaurants or ordered in by myself all from fresh ingredients. 

And what is better to show how recreation works than a home-made Italian dish. All from Scratch! Try my Gnocchi Recipe with Tomato and Basil Sauce and I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

- 4 Pieces Potatoes

- 1 Egg

- 2 Cups of Flour

- 1 Medium Onion

- 2 Garlic Cloves

- 1 Carrot

- 1 Red Bell Pepper

- 3 Tomatoes

- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

- Basilico Tomato Paste

- Basil

- Oregano

- Salt & Black Pepper

- Olive Oil

Directions:

For the Gnocchi:

- Wash the potatoes well to remove dirt on its skin. In a pot, add boiling water and salt, then add the potatoes. Let it boil at low temperature till the potatoes are cooked. Stick a fork in it to know.

- Smash the boiled potatoes in a bowl, using a fork. Then spread it on your working top, add salt and black pepper and smash it well to combine the taste. Break an egg over the smashed potatoes the mix it again using a fork and a spoon which ever is easier.

- Start adding the flour gradually. Start with one cup then knead. Keep adding flour till its not sticky anymore.

- Split the dough in 8 equal pieces. Round each piece, then start shaping it long with a diameter as thick as your thumb.

- Cut the long formed dough in equal pieces as long as 3 cm. Always flour the formed dough while working with it.

- Using a fork, start shaping the gnocchi. First flour the fork and the dough. Then you place the dough on the fork and using your thumb you press on the dough and roll it at the same time. (See Video below to better understand the process). Repeat. Always flour the shaped ghnocci and the fork while doing it.

For the Sauce:

- Start by chopping all the veggies including the onions and the garlic.

- In a heated pot, add the chopped onions and garlic with olive oil. Let it cook till its translucent.

- Add all the chopped veggies (Carrots, Bell Pepper and Tomatoes). Sprinkle Salt, Black Pepper, Basil and Oregano. Mix it well and let it simmer at low temperature for 15 minutes.

- Add the Basilico Tomato Paste (If you don't have it you can skip it) then let it simmer for an extra 10 minutes. Taste to see if it needs more salt.

Putting it all together:

- In heated pot, Add boiling water with salt. Then start popping those gnocchi into the water in batches. Once the gnocchi float, it's cooked. Repeat.

- In a safe oven plate, Add the cooked gnocchi with the tomato basil sauce. Mix it well. Add Sliced fresh Mozzarella on top. Then into a preheated oven at 180 C for 15 minutes.

Et Voilà!

Cooking Video Below